Dolphins Gameplan: Protecting the football is key to Dolphins victory

The Miami Dolphins have done something very well during their 3 game losing streak….they’ve turned the ball over. The Dolphins have turned the ball over 7 times in the last 3 games and not created a turnover on defense. That, if you’re scoring at home, is the perfect recipe to losing football games. Every coach in the NFL will tell you that winning the turnover battle is their primary focus each and every week.

If you turn the ball over, you’re going to lose. This is especially true when you are a young team like the Dolphins. The Dolphins offense does not have enough playmakers and weapons to turn the ball over and comeback. Guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers can turn the ball over, but they usually end up making up for it in the end. Right now, Ryan Tannehill is not experienced enough, nor does he have enough help to overcome costly turnovers. Here are our keys to the Dolphins gameplan for Sunday and after that introduction, it shouldn’t be a surprise what number 1 on the list is!

Protect the football

Protecting the football is especially important against the Seahawks on Sunday, a team that is +1 in the turnover category, while the Dolphins are -9 on the season. As we said, the Dolphins are simply not good enough to lose the turnover battle and win the game. This falls on Ryan Tannehill, Reggie Bush, the other Dolphins ball carriers. The Dolphins must do a good job of holding onto the ball and limiting the short field opportunities for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense. This will be a challenge because the Seahawks are a physical defense which ranks #3 overall in the NFL in yards against.

RUN THE FOOTBALL!

I feel like I’ve been writing this for weeks now, but it’s especially true on Sunday. In order to limit the turnovers, the Dolphins must run the football effectively. They must keep Ryan Tannehill out of 3rd and long situations. This falls on the Dolphins offensive line and the running backs. The line hasn’t been creating holes big enough for a chihuahua to run through. This must change and it can only happen if the Dolphins get physical up front and push the Seahawks around.

The other advantage to running the football is that it will wear the Seahawks defense out. The Seahawks are flying the longest distance any NFL team will travel for a road game this season….and it’s for an ‘early’ 1 o’clock game, no less. The Dolphins would be wise to run the ball early and often in hopes of controlling the clock and tiring our the Seahawks. Moreover, if the Dolphins can run effectively, they will take advantage of the better matchup on the offensive side of the ball. You see, the Seahawks secondary is the biggest in the NFL, so they will be physical with the Dolphins receivers. The Dolphins don’t have a big, physical receiver (Calvin Johnson or even Brandon Marshall) to beat jamming, press coverage. Running the football will be the Dolphins best chance of moving the football, so they must do it effectively. (cont’d on page 2, click below)